


Hogwarts: A History

by Anonymous



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Character Death, M/M, NHEV, No Happy Ending Fest, Suicide, Unhappy Ending, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:35:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29358840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A prince with big dreams finds out imaginary worlds aren't always worth exploring.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8
Collections: No Happy Ending Fest - 2020





	Hogwarts: A History

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #:** Self-Prompt  
>  **Prompt:** When Prince Baekhyun received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, he hadn't planned it would end this way.  
>  **Pairing/Main character(s):** Baekhyun/Chanyeol  
>  **Word Count:** 5281  
>  **Warning(s)/Additional Tag(s):** death, suicide, graphic depictions of violence

Staring out the window, Baekhyun’s eyes traced over the way the water droplets of the light rainfall landed and remained on any surface they could reach. He wished he had that much coverage himself.

As third in line for the throne, it was likely Baekhyun would never have a chance to reach power. Not that he wanted power—no, being king was the last thing the prince wanted. However, a castle this large felt very dull with each passing day with little responsibilities keeping him busy, and little friends to fill said free time with. At merely 11 years old, Baekhyun was lonely.

"My prince?"

A small voice drew him from his thoughts, eyes drifting towards the speaker––one of the servants. She seemed to be clutching a letter which caught his attention.  _ Maybe a love confession?  _ He thought to himself, as most literature obsessed twelve year olds would; he'd seen it in a book therefore it  _ must  _ happen eventually, right?

"Yes, proceed." Baekhyun gestured for her to come forward with a small smile, but she merely flashed him an awkward grin and passed him the letter from a distance.

"This letter was left for you outside." 

Now  _ that  _ had his interest piqued more than any old love letter. Small hands grasped and yanked the letter away with an eagerness, carefully removing the wax seal to open said sheet of paper. The contents only confused him, however––eyes tracing over every word carefully.

_ Dear Mr. Byun, _

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_ Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. _

"A list of all necessary books and equipment?" He fumbled with the letter to get the second page––which was stuck to the first––separate so he could see what exactly a school on witchcraft and wizardry entailed, which only managed to  _ further  _ puzzle him.

_ UNIFORM _

_ First-year students will require: _

  1. _Three sets of plain work robes (black)_
  2. _One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_
  3. _One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_
  4. _One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_



_ Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags. _

_ COURSE BOOKS _

_ All students should have a copy of each of the following: _

_ The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _

_ by Miranda Goshawk _

_ A History of Magic _

_ by Bathilda Bagshot _

_ Magical Theory _

_ by Adalbert Waffling _

_ A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _

_ by Emeric Switch _

_ One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _

_ by Phyllida Spore _

_ Magical Drafts and Potions _

_ by Arsenius Jigger _

_ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _

_ by Newt Scamander _

_ The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _

_ by Quentin Trimble _

_ OTHER EQUIPMENT _

_ 1 wand _

_ 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) _

_ 1 set glass or crystal phials _

_ 1 telescope _

_ 1 set brass scales _

_ Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad. _

_ PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS _

_ ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK _

Nothing on the letter in front of him made any sense at all.

“Hogwarts? Wands? Cauldrons? What on  _ earth. _ ” A frown etched onto his lips.

It must be a prank by one of his older brothers—of course it would be. That was the only  _ rational  _ conclusion; maybe he’d bring it up tonight at dinner.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Baekhyun tucked the letter into his robe pocket as he made his way to the dining room, settling himself in his designated seat—the youngest sat closest to the King and Queen, since he was still learning how to behave in a princely manner. 

“So…” The young prince pulled the envelope out and held it in the air with a little pout on his lips as the servants around them placed their food on the plates in front of them. “Which one of you thought it was funny to give me a fake letter to a wizard school.”

His siblings giggled amongst themselves—clearly they thought it was funny, but Baekhyun didn't. He had an active imagination and as an 11 year old who’s only friends were the fictional universes he found through the pages of books it felt almost like they were mocking him.

“I’m serious. It isn't funny.” Baekhyun grumbled, placing the envelope down on the table as his pout morphed into a frown so deep his eyebrows had a visible furrow.

The King picked up the envelope, viewing the contents himself before turning to the Queen to show her as well. The two of them whispered amongst themselves for a few moments before the prince awkwardly tried to reach for the letter.

“Father, Mother—it's just a prank. You don't have to read it.”

“Actually,” the Queen spoke, “It's a real place. Cousin Kim attended Hogwarts.”

The King nodded, handing Baekhyun the letter. “We’ll call for her at once. She can help you prepare.”

The youngest prince and his siblings were all just staring in shocked silence.

“You mean to tell me a  _ wizard  _ school  _ actually _ exists?” The eldest prince spoke.

“Why didn't we get letters too!” The middle prince huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“This isn't a joke?” Baekhyun was barely breathing at this point.  _ This is really happening? I’m going to a magic school? _

“No, it's very real.” The King smiled warmly at him and placed his hand gently on his shoulder. “Eat your dinner, cousin Kim will help when she arrives.”

Baekhyun eagerly nodded. That night might've been the best dinner he'd ever had, but maybe that was influenced by his pure excitement. Maybe he’d be able to make friends there—maybe he could embrace himself without needing to keep up the  _ regality  _ of his identity.

Would students of  _ magic  _ have any reason to care about his princely status?

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

His cousin had told him so much in such a short amount of time and none of it seemed to register in his brain. What was Diagon Alley? Hogsmeade? Platform ¾? And the houses—he didn't understand those either. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. It all sounded like pure gibberish to him but she promised he’d understand eventually.

Tonight was the night he packed his trunk full of anything he wanted to bring with him and he couldn't be more excited. His cousin told him to make sure to leave plenty of space for his necessary supplies, so he tried his best not to pack too much. Tomorrow was the big day—shopping spree and then shipping off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Letter clutched tightly in his hands, he stared out the window one last time at the scenery of the garden below him. Maybe he would miss this place, but there was nothing left for him here. Opportunity was around the corner and he needed so desperately to grasp at what was offered out to him. 

It was hard for him to sleep that night, tossing and turning with a huge smile on his lips, unwavering in pure happiness he doesn't remember feeling within these cold castle walls. Tomorrow, he'd begin studying magic. Tomorrow, his whole world would flip on its axis from what he believed was reality into the fantasy worlds from which he spent most of his time––the worlds he dove head on into were seeping into his life. Fantasy merged with reality to make his dreams purely achievable. 

Morning could not have come fast enough. The sound of his cousin's car engine revving despite being distant through the panes of his windows echoed deep within his skull. 

_ Cousin Kim is here _ , he thought to himself,  _ there's no time to waste. _

There was absolutely no hesitation. Baekhyun quite literally threw himself out of bed and onto his feet, stumbling a bit as his balance started to falter, but he made haste in tripping his way to his wardrobe regardless. 

There was no reason for him to dress regally. Hogwarts had its own uniform that he was sure he'd purchase shortly when his cousin took him shopping for supplies, and of course as a Prince he must try to meld with the crowds to prevent any sort of harm––so his choice of clothing was a simple t-shirt and jeans, usually clothing he only wore around the palace if not clad in only his robe at most. His parents would most likely disapprove, but today was his day––not theirs. Besides, these jeans made his legs look good.

Baekhyun dashed out of his room with his trunk clanking behind him, a steady 'bump, bump, bump' as he ran down the stairs, ultimately dropping the trunk to run and hug cousin Kim as tightly as possible, earning laughter from the woman.

"Someone's excited, huh?" She spoke, patting Baekhyun's back.

"How could he not be?" One of the other Prince's piped up.

"It's not like he's getting to study  _ magic  _ or anything." The eldest added.

"And sounds like some others are jealous too?" Cousin Kim continued, making Baekhyun laugh this time. "I'm guessing you're ready."

"Ready as I'll ever be! Trunk's packed with plenty of room to spare- oh-" Baekhyun leaned back to pat his pockets, pouting a bit as his brows furrowed. "I forgot to grab my money. Hold on, I'll just-"

He turned to run back up the stairs, but his cousin quickly caught his wrist. When he looked back at her, she was beaming at him as she lightly shook her head.

"There's no reason for that. Wizard world money is different, my love."

“Oh—” He rubbed his nape, smiling sheepishly as she let go of his arm. “Okay, well… I’m ready then!”

“Grab your trunk, we’ve got some shopping to do.”

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

“This is a brick wall.” Baekhyun frowned, arms crossing in front of him. “I don’t appreciate being pranked on such an important day.”

“Shh.” His aunt shook her head, reaching inside her jacket to pull out her wand—Baekhyun hadn’t even noticed it but he guesses wand pockets are meant to be hidden. 

He watched in bewilderment as she counted, three up and two across three times, tapping her wand against the brick.

As soon as her wand tip made contact, the wall began to move. Bricks shifted to reveal an opening—the entrance to Diagon Alley. 

“Now we can shop.” His cousin winked at him, gently holding his arm to tug him along into the alley full of many sights and smells. She reached for his shopping list which he had clutched in his hand. 

“What should we get first?” Baekhyun asked, standing on his tiptoes to try and peer at the list.

“Hm… you’ll get your house robes when you’re sorted, but you do need a uniform. Let’s head to Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions first.”

“Madam Mal-who?”

Cousin Kim laughed lightly at him. “It’s where you purchase your uniform.”

As they walked towards Madam Malkin’s, Baekhyun decided to ask her about sorting and what exactly that was.

“So… You said I’ll be sorted, right? What will I be sorted into, exactly?”

“Well, Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. Gryffindor is for those who are courageous, brave, and chivalrous. Hufflepuff is for those who are trustworthy, loyal, and have a strong work ethic. Slytherin is for those who are ambitious, cunning, and strong leaders. Lastly but not leastly, my house, Ravenclaw, is for those who are intelligent, wise, and witty.” She explained, opening the door to Madam Malkin’s as she finished describing the different houses. “I personally think you’ll be a Hufflepuff.”

“Why Hufflepuff specifically? I’m not sure I know enough people to have shown any of those traits-” 

“Oh, Hufflepuff’s just have a certain…  _ air _ about them. There’s a certain personality type that seems to flourish in the Hufflepuff house. With how you’ve been since you were a small child… Hufflepuff seems especially fitting.” She laughed, guiding him towards the uniform section. “Do write to me if I’m correct, yes?”

“Okay, okay… So, what do I need from here?” Baekhyun inquired, peering around at the many different types of clothing hanging on the walls and draped over mannequins. 

“Plain black robes, a pointed hat, dragonhide gloves, and a winter cloak. Shouldn’t be too hard to find.” His cousin squinted around at the nearby displays, eyes catching on the gloves nearby. She grabbed a pair and examined them, eventually nodding and passing them to Baekhyun. “Try these on.”

Baekhyun did as he was told, trying the gloves on. They were pretty tight fitting on his hands. Once he took them off, his cousin offered another pair since those didn’t fit very well. The new pair of gloves was much nicer in feeling, less uncomfortable and definitely roomy enough for him to move his fingers without them feeling too stiff. 

“Perfect.”

The rest of shopping at Madam Malkin’s went smoothly, as did the rest of shopping in general in Diagon Alley. Of course Baekhyun had to swing by Honeydukes when cousin Kim told him that Honeydukes was the Wizarding World’s candy store. Fizzing whizbees, sugar quills, chocolate wands, butterbeer fudge. He wasn’t sure what butterbeer was, but he sure loved the taste of it.

His chosen pet was a black cat with heterochromia, one eye blue and the other green, and a white sock on his front right paw. He decided to name her Mitten, after her single sock.

“Now that you’ve gotten pretty much everything, I’ve saved the best for last.” Cousin Kim spoke, smiling at him as he played with Mitten, the kitten pawing playfully at his cheek.

“What could be better than Mitten here?” He grinned, earning a soft ‘meow’ in response.

“Your wand.”   
  
With that Baekhyun’s interest was grabbed.

“Say less.”

She guided him towards Ollivander’s, the wandmaker of the same name eagerly greeting her upon entry.

“It’s been a long time since you first came here, Sumin.”   
  
“It definitely has. I’m here to help my young cousin, Baekhyun, pick out his own wand today.”

“Oh my my. Someone else in the family line has finally received a letter!” Ollivander wasted no time in grabbing the first wand for Baekhyun to try. “ A thin cedar wand. In length, it is seven inches long. It has a core of dragon heartstring. Similar to Sumin’s own.”

Baekhyun picked up the wand but he wasn’t sure what to do, awkwardly staring at it in his hand as he just waited for it to do something until Ollivander shook his head.

“Come. Give it a wave.”

He waved the wand a bit in the air and as soon as he did so, a few of the wands from the upper shelves tumbled to the ground. 

“No, no. Not a good fit. Put it down, I’ll find another one for you.” Ollivander spoke, not even waiting for Baekhyun to put the wand back in its box before placing another one for him to try on the counter. “This one is pear wood with a unicorn hair core, ten and three quarters inches long, with quite bendy flexibility. Try this one next.”

Baekhyun had barely lifted the wand before the lights in the room began to glow a pretty blue, signalling to both his cousin and the wandmaker that he had found his proper fit.

“Yup, with a wand like that—definitely a Hufflepuff.” His cousin spoke, arms crossed in front of her with a cheeky grin on her lips. Smug and proud of herself. Even Ollivander laughed. “How much for the wand?”

After purchasing Baekhyun’s wand for him the duo and his new kitten headed to exit Diagon Alley, packing everything in his cousin’s car and heading for King’s Cross Station. 

“So… How exactly do I get to Hogwarts? You said we’re going to King’s Cross so I’m assuming by train, but then doesn’t that mean anyone can go?”

“To get to Hogwarts you have to take Platform 9¾ which has a very…  _ interesting  _ entrance. It’s hidden to muggles—those who do not practice magic—and I can promise you once I show you how to get there you’ll understand.” His cousin explained, eyes trained on the road in front of her.

Baekhyun hummed, petting Mitten who had fallen asleep in his lap. “I should’ve guessed they’d have a way to hide it or else I would’ve known about magic already right? But how do you have ¾ of a train platform?”

“It’s the size of a normal platform, Baekhyun.” Cousin Kim laughed at him, shaking her head slightly. “You’ll see, I promise.”

With a nod and a slight pout etched onto his lips, Baekhyun kept quiet for the rest of the drive. Once at King’s Cross, his cousin pulled out the cart she had brought for him, loading all of his supplies onto it including Mitten in her cage—despite Baekhyun’s protests to carry her with him. He read the signs as the passed—Platform 4… 6… 9… but where was Platform 9¾? 

His cousin stopped in front of one of the brick columns between Platforms 9 and 10, leaving Baekhyun just as confused as he was the first time. She gestured to the cart as if to tell him to take hold of the handle, making sure he was aligned with the wall.

“Have fun at Hogwarts, okay? This is where I leave you.” She smiled, walking up to the column to pat the bricks. “I want you to run full speed at the wall. Before you protest, I promise it will go okay.”

“Full speed at the  _ wall _ ?”

“Yes.” She grinned, laughing at him. “Ready? 3… 2…”

Baekhyun panickedly got himself into position before bolting directly at the wall. He braced himself to crash, readied himself to yell at his cousin for playing such a sick prank on him, but instead he phased through the wall and into an area bustling with students clad in uniforms and robes. It was easy to tell who was new and who wasn’t depending on who was dressed and ready to go. 

His belongings were ushered into a storage compartment on the train aside from his robes, which he held tightly against his chest as he boarded the Hogwarts Express. Baekhyun had admittedly never ridden on a train before––leaving the palace was also a rarity, but public transportation was a must-avoid amongst royalty. It didn't take long for him to find an empty car, tucking himself up against the corner near the window. 

_ I'll just change into my uniform later.  _ He thought to himself, eyes trained on the hustle and bustle outside the window as he shook his head.  _ If I get up, with how many people are still boarding, I'd surely lose my seat. _

The inside of the train was quite peaceful despite the ongoing hustle and bustle. Baekhyun found himself drifting off into his own head, thoughts dancing with the images formed from excitement fueled imagination. Distracted by the mere idea of soon being able to cast spells, the prince didn't notice the door to his compartment being slid open. It wasn't until the intruder cleared his throat that Baekhyun was even aware he was there. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, his eyes drifted towards the rather tall figure standing there.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" His voice was rather deep––Baekhyun found it enchanting, admittedly. 

"Sure!" The prince offered the stranger a smile, gesturing to the seat across from him. "I'm not saving a seat for anyone!"

With a smile offered back, the boy settled himself across from Baekhyun. His uniform wasn't on yet either, so at least the prince wasn't alone in that regard, but from the way he carried himself it was clear he wasn't as clueless as Baekhyun was.

"Muggleborn?"

Baekhyun blinked. "Huh?"

"You just seem very clueless. Most half bloods and definitely all pureblood wizards are much more aware of what their first trip to Hogwarts will be like." The boy's tone was gentle––the prince assumed he was just trying to make conversation. "My name's Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol."

"Chanyeol..." Baekhyun quite liked that name. It definitely seemed to fit him. "My name is Baekhyun! Byun Baekhyun! My cousin attended Hogwarts but I'm not aware of anyone else in my family who did... She was a Ravenclaw but she thinks i'll be a... Huff.." 

He tapped his chin as he tried to finish the name of the house. These wizarding world words are surely confusing.

"Hufflepuff." Chanyeol finished for him, earning a sheepish 'yes, that one' from Baekhyun in response. "It definitely seems fitting. You've got that bouncy, curious aura to you that Hufflepuffs always carry. I come from a long line of purebloods––everyone in my family has been part of Slytherin house."

"So.. Pureblood means that everyone in your family has been a wizard, right?"

"Yes. With the exception of squibs––which are muggles, non magic folk, born from two wizards––everyone in my family has been given the gift of magic. Half bloods are wizards born from one muggle and one wizard. You, as someone born from non magic parents, are what we call a muggleborn." Chanyeol explained as Baekhyun listened closely. Every word was new knowledge to him. "A lot of purebloods look down on muggleborns... refer to them as mudbloods––insinuating they are lesser than them. I personally don't feel that way, nor do my siblings, but... some of the older people in my family definitely do."

"Mudbloods..." Even just saying that left a bitter taste on Baekhyun's tongue.

The term itself was notion enough of the way muggleborns were looked down upon. To refer to someone as having mud for blood... maybe the magical world wasn't all kittens and rainbows. Chanyeol could tell Baekhyun was feeling a bit on edge after that. I mean, who wouldn't?

"But I promise Hogwarts isn't like that! Hogwarts is home to anyone and everyone. There's lots of good food, good people––have you ever heard of Quidditch?" 

"Q-Quidditch?" Baekhyun's head tilted, brows furrowing together. "What's a.. Quidditch?"

"Okay so, muggles have games involving balls and goals, correct? Think that but on broomsticks! It's hard to explain, but I'll definitely take you to a game or two." Chanyeol seemed excited, it was the most Baekhyun had seen him fidget the entire time. "Maybe one day, you'll watch me fly for Slytherin too!"

The duo talked and talked until the time came for them to quickly change into uniforms and depart from the Hogwarts Express. As per tradition, all first years traveled across the Great Lake in boats––Chanyeol and Baekhyun sat next to each other––and then headed to the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. Students who had already been sorted in the prior years to their arrival sat at their respective tables by house, watching with anticipation as they waited to see who out of the first years would sit beside them. Baekhyun was the third person to be sorted.

As his cousin, the wandmaker, and Chanyeol all guessed––the prince had been sorted into Hufflepuff. Chanyeol, of course, was sorted into Slytherin without any hesitance from the sorting hat. 

Despite being in different houses, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were inseparable for the entirety of their first year and beyond; the duo studied in the library together every day, took frequent trips to Hogsmeade, and may or may not have spent several nights in the astronomy tower together.

One night during their second year, Chanyeol invited Baekhyun to the astronomy tower earlier than usual.

"Why so early? We risk getting caught even more when we sneak out so quick." Baekhyun's voice was barely a whisper, hand gripping the sleeve of Chanyeol's robe while the latter checked to see if the coast was clear.

"Because I have something to tell you." The Slytherin uttered back, taking hold of the prince's hand and tugging him along quickly towards the staircase to the astronomy tower. Once up there, the duo would be free to converse as they pleased.

They wasted no time in hurrying up the steps and once inside the tower, Chanyeol made sure the door was shut and blocked off as quickly as possible. Then, he proceeded to take a blanket out of his bag as well as a few things he had managed to convince the kitchen elves to pack up for him––laying everything out to create a little picnic for him and Baekhyun. The Hufflepuff eyeballed him as he sat beside him on the blanket.

"What's all this for?" Baekhyun inquired, wasting no time in picking up a pumpkin pastie. "Did you get on the Quidditch team?"

Chanyeol pouted. "How'd you guess so quickly?"

"You'd been excited about tryouts since the end of first year, silly." The Hufflepuff giggled, holding up his pumpkin pastie for the pouty Chanyeol to take a bite out of. "It was just a lucky first guess. I knew you'd get on the team though. I'm proud of you, Channie."

"Do I get a kiss?" He continued to pout, mumbling as he chewed the yummy treat.

Baekhyun merely giggled and leaned in to give the requested kiss on Chanyeol's cheek. 

Their routine continued on into the following years. Fifth year Chanyeol  _ finally  _ asked Baekhyun out––the entire student body had been waiting for it. Snitch in hand, the Slytherin kissed the Hufflepuff in front of the entire school on the Quidditch pitch after winning the last game Slytherin needed to come out on top of the other houses. The whole school roared with cheer for the couple. People had been rooting for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to date for years—now they finally were.

Things moved nicely until winter break of their seventh year. Chanyeol decided to stay with Baekhyun that Christmas, since the Hufflepuff preferred the delicious feasts of Hogwarts with friends over the quiet of the castle at home.

Hogwarts  _ was _ home afterall.

But all Chanyeol felt that Christmas evening, Baekhyun snuggled up next to him in front of the fireplace in the Hufflepuff common room, was fear. When he told his parents about his muggleborn lover, they were enraged. They shouted at him, threatened to disown him, even threatened Baekhyun’s life.

But the worst of it all was the warning they spoke to him, words like poison coated knives stabbing into his every being. 

“Hogwarts is going to get what it deserves for housing all those filthy little mudbloods. Whether or not you're on our side is your own decision.”

Chanyeol let the headmaster know as soon as they returned, all the professors were notified immediately. Hogwarts was on high guard—but the students were not to be told until danger was imminent.

Chanyeol’s parents were openly supporters of Voldemort as many other purebloods were despite his clear loss during the Battle of Hogwarts. Those who remained supporters of the dark lord post-defeat vowed for revenge. Few were arrested for blatant attacks against muggleborns—many roamed free as they were not considered immediate threats.

Apparently that gave them time to meet with each other—to conspire.

The sleeping Hufflepuff in Chanyeol’s arms was clueless of the target placed on his back, peaceful in the warmth of Hogwarts castle during a cold and unforgiving winter. The Slytherin vowed to do his best to protect the boy because without Byun Baekhyun he would be incomplete.

What Chanyeol feared most came sooner than he hoped. It was only the first week after classes resumed when the entirety of the student body was called to the great hall. The weather that day couldn’t’ve been drearier—thunder boomed outside the castle walls, rain pattered against the stained glass windows so hard it felt like they would shatter, the sky was muddled with grey—and it only made the serious atmosphere worse. The students muttered amongst themselves as they shuffled to their respective house tables, the soft clearing of the headmaster’s throat once they were all seated causing everyone to go quiet. The eerie silence was uncomfortable, Chanyeol and Baekhyun locking eyes from across the room, the Hufflepuff clearly fidgety and anxious. All the Slytherin wished to do in that moment was to hug him.

“Hogwarts is under attack.” 

The headmaster’s words made the chatter spark up again, the professors quickly working to hush everyone down again.

“The protective spells surrounding the castle are being broken through as we speak. First, second, and third years are to report to the dungeons as a safety precaution—inexperience causes danger, and the last thing we wish is harm upon you all. Fourth years and above will surround the perimeter with the professors. The infirmary will be running in case of immediate harm.”

It didn't feel real.

“Remember to be as safe as possible. The last thing we want is for any of you to be seriously hurt, but we lack the means for proper protection without student help.”

“Hogwarts is home.” Baekhyun spoke up from the Hufflepuff table, everyone’s heads turning to look at him as he stood up, eyes trained on the headmaster. “Even if you didn't ask me to protect it, I would.”

The hall filled with voices of agreement. House rivalries seemed trivial at that moment, everyone coming together to protect the castle in all it’s glory.

Chanyeol stayed close to Baekhyun’s side of course. Glued at the hip, the couple held their wands forward as they watched the magic field protecting them begin to crack and crumble, ready to cast as soon as danger was within eyesight. It was only a few moments of stillness and silence before the bombardment of spells began. Chaos, shouting—everyone on both sides firing as many spells as they could muster.

The fighting went on for hours and Chanyeol and Baekhyun both seemed to be fine aside from some minor scratches. But it was when they thought they had a chance to breathe that everything fell apart.

Chanyeol watched his world crumble in front of him in what felt like slow motion; he watched as a man rounded the corner and threw a spell at Baekhyun, hitting him directly in the back, he watched Baekhyun fall to the ground and hit his head so hard it began to bleed. 

The Slytherin wasn't one to break the laws set in place, but watching his boyfriend collapse to the ground in front of him it’s like his body went on autopilot.

“Avada Kedavra!”

The death eater in front of him fell to the ground, limp and lifeless in the midst of the rubble that had collected during the fighting. Chanyeol had no time to dwell upon the fact he had cast a forbidden curse—rushing over to hoist Baekhyun over his shoulder and rush him to the infirmary.

The nurse tried everything she could to help him: spells, potions, muggle remedies. But there are sometimes things even magic cannot salvage.

It took days after the fighting had ended (in Hogwarts’ favor of course) for the news to finally be received.

Byun Baekhyun had passed away in his sleep. The blow to his spine had rendered his body useless, and the blunt force of his skull colliding into the hard castle walkway left him with only one way back to peace: death. Chanyeol had expected this outcome. He’d expected from the moment he watched Baekhyun collapse that he wouldn't survive.

But all he could do was hope.

With that light stolen from him, the flickering flame of the candle that was his precious Hufflepuff boyfriend being put out before his very eyes, Chanyeol stood on the edge of the tall cliff in which Hogwarts sat upon.

Arms spread, he let gravity have its way with him.

Without Baekhyun, there could be no Chanyeol.

  
  



End file.
